NBA on ESPN/YouTube An NBA ref suffered an injury when he came into contact with one of the players during the Western Conference Finals Game 2 between the Thunder and the Timberwolves was paused briefly as Scott Foster's bloody nose was treated The game resumed shortly after, with Foster returning to officiate Veteran NBA referee Scott Foster was inadvertently responsible for a delay of game during the Western Conference Finals. Foster, 58, suffered a bloody nose after he unexpectedly came between the ball and an Oklahoma City Thunder player's arm during a jump ball just about 90 seconds into the game on Thursday, May 22. During the unexpected moment, the Thunder's Luguentz Dort and the Minnesota Timberwolves'Julius Randleswiped at the ball, with Dort's hand coming down across Foster's face. Randle also accidentally kicked Foster on the play. "I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often, as he gets whacked in the face inadvertently," ESPN's Mike Breen said during thebroadcast, while offering viewers play-by-play of the replay. As players looked on, Foster was attended to on the sidelines and the game was delayed. Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The ref returned to the game and play resumed moments later — but those watching couldn't get over the unlikely contact. "Scott will be razzed on this that he can't take a punch," ESPN's rules analyst Steve Javie, who is a former ref, said. Foster, who has officiated in the NBA since 1994, has frequently been the unwanted center of attention. The ref is jokingly referred to as "The Extender" due to his impact on games in which a trailing team in a series often wins games. Foster has also faced allegations of calling games to influence sports betting. Last season,the official had a run-in with another Timberwolves player. During a game in March 2024,Rudy Gobertrubbed his fingers together in a money gesture in Foster's direction, implying that his calls were influencing the game. Gobert was fined $100,000 for his behavior. Read the original article onPeople
